smiley

1 of 2

adjective

smil·​ey ˈsmī-lē How to pronounce smiley (audio)
: having a smile : smiling often
smiley kids

smiley

2 of 2

noun

Examples of smiley in a Sentence

Adjective She's a very smiley kid.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Only one police officer pops up there, a smiley nincompoop who sucks down children’s birthday cake from behind a desk and shrugs his way through conversation. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 The proud mom began the post with two smiley selfies of the mother-son duo that featured Matteo’s big blue eyes on full display, while her own were hidden behind large sunglasses. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024 There is a poster of Bartos on one wall, but the real-life person is a lot more animated and smiley, keen to speak about his perfectly synced score that enhances the classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. SPIN: How did your fascination with the art and culture of the Weimar Republic begin? Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 9 Feb. 2024 The smiley pup was rescued as an injured stray after he was observed being hit by a car and taken to a local emergency animal clinic. The Republic, The Arizona Republic, 19 Jan. 2024 Most recently, the smiley dog made a cameo in a cute Instagram video. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 The midwife there had been contacted by a local production company who were looking for a smiley baby, and the midwife asked if my name… could be submitted. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2023 Garcia began the post with two smiley selfies of the mother-son duo that featured Matteo’s big blue eyes on full display, while her own were hidden behind large sunglasses. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 25 Nov. 2023 The cookbook author and model shares her four kids with husband and EGOT winner John Legend Chrissy Teigen's son Wren is one smiley baby. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Noun
The cerebral, smiley righty from Scranton, Pennsylvania, is the only one of the five to have reached Triple-A and this spring is unburdened by workload restrictions. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Lightweight with a non-slip rubber sole, these smileys are made for comfort after a long day at school, work, or sports practice. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 19 Feb. 2024 The photographs that accompany the e-mails also alternate between good-guy Trump and bad-guy Trump, and the opposition between the personae is as blatant as that between smiley and frowny emojis. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024 Legend, 44, also made an appearance in the pup-heavy photo dump, posing for a smiley shot with another one of the couple’s furry friends, Pebbles. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 27 Nov. 2023 The cookbook cover features a smiley Bertinelli assembling a bountiful charcuterie board. Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 1 Nov. 2023 And it's probably got a grim expression rather than a smiley of the Scrub Daddy. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 24 Aug. 2023 Rounding out the smiley group shot were comedian Nikki Glaser and Cazorla's husband, music producer Walter Afanasieff. Marisa Sullivan, Peoplemag, 25 July 2023 Riley Hein — a smiley, gregarious teen who played trombone in the school marching band — was dead. A.c. Thompson, ProPublica, 13 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smiley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

short for smiley face

First Known Use

Adjective

1848, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1987, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smiley was in 1848

Dictionary Entries Near smiley

Cite this Entry

“Smiley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smiley. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smiley

1 of 2 adjective
smil·​ey ˈsmī-lē How to pronounce smiley (audio)
: exhibiting a smile : frequently smiling

smiley

2 of 2 noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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